A/N: Welcome back. From here we continue our great journey into the BEYOND.
Unfortunately, no one has guessed the God item that will be used in this chapter. So in that case, we dedicate this chapter to the first and fairest reviewer of them all; 'Hellscream'. Thank you very much, this chapter is for you.
We claim no rights to all characters, locations, etc, identifiable with either Tomb Raider or God of War. We are using them to tell a story and nothing more.
Chapter Two
A Door to Many Doors
Lara looked about. This storey was more alight than upstairs. This was probably because part of it led to the upper balcony of the main exhibit, but also because the things on this level were probably rarer and had more security. Lara's PDA vibrated and she looked at it. There were two people close to her. One of them was down the hall and around the corner, but not going anywhere; and the other moving in an exhibit to the right. They wouldn't be able to see each other, so Lara decided to go for the one in the room. She crept up to the door and peeked in. The guard was at a display case looking at something. He didn't seem to be actively doing his job. Lara crept into the room. Most of the display cases were tall glass ones, so there were few places to hide. When Lara was half way across the room, she ducked behind the last amount of cover there was. Peering around the corner, the guard seemed transfixed on whatever was in the case. What bothered Lara was that neither he nor the other guard seemed to have heard the two shots that had been fired.
'Something isn't right,' Lara thought. But taking her chance, she stepped out from her hiding spot and ducked while walking towards the guard.
"You really are my favourite, you know?" The guard asked, not of Lara, but what was in the display case. "I wish I had the chance to be with your mistress, for she is the absolute beauty of beauties. But alas I cannot." Lara had heard enough and hit the man in the collar bone, knocking him unconscious. She looked into the display case.
"Garter: found in the temple of Aphrodite." Lara shook her head. Even if this did belong to Aphrodite, surely she would have taken it back by now.
But to more important matters. She had to deal with the other guard. She walked quietly back to the door and then down the passageway, leaning against the wall to avoid being seen. She looked briefly around the corner and then back. The guard was standing with his back to the opposite wall and was able to see anyone coming around the corner or down the hall.
'Well, let's give this a try,' Lara thought as she stroked her necklace. She stood up, focused her thoughts on what she was about to do, and walked around the corner.
"Hey you, what-" the guard started, but was then paralysed.
"I'm just a late night shopper, don't mind me," Lara answered, and knocked the guard out with the same strike she had given the others. "How did they not hear the gunshots?" Lara asked, not sure whom she was addressing.
"Perhaps the magic in the door kept the sound down. You know, so you could fight and not worry about being interrupted," Zip offered.
"Sounds about right. Which is why the other came running, as that doorway wasn't covered." With that answered, Lara looked at her PDA. It didn't reveal any other guards, and the path ahead was clear. She picked up the pace, moving swiftly down the hall until she got to the last room before the upper level of the main exhibition. Inside this room was a mass amount of coins from all the way through history. Old English pounds, Japanese yen, rupee, and on and on the list went. Lara walked around the room to a display case on the other side. There, suspended in a glass frame, was the Coin of Hermes. It was this that would open the doorway to Tartarus.
"Good job Lara, there it is," Alister congratulated her.
"That was the easy part," Zip cut in. "The coin has a great deal of security on it. Even the cleaner doesn't take it anywhere. When the coin is removed from the case, the room is flooded with sensor beams, and tripping one will summon the police. Their best response time on file is ten minutes."
"Well then, I guess I better not trip one," Lara said. She took out a small glass cutter and used it to cut a hole in the main display. She reached in and carefully cut away the glass around the coin until it came free. Lara put the coin in her backpack then turned to face the room. Sure enough, there was a maze of laser beams blocking her path.
"Do I need to tell you boys to be quiet?" Lara asked.
"Do yo thing, girl," Zip answered before a slight popping sound told her their microphone was turned off. The first set of beams was a few feet ahead and spanned out in a criss-cross pattern. They also moved up and down, covering the whole area. Lara watched and counted, and then did a diving jump forward, going between two beams when they stopped. Lara landed and stood, and discovered she was close to another line. She ducked and crawled beneath it, coming to another set of three. Taking a deep breath, Lara did a forward flip and landed on the other side.
'Half way,' she thought. The door was unbarred by beams, but the next set was tricky - more moving beams that made a tighter net than the last ones. Lara found the largest of the holes and looked at it. It didn't shrink too much when it did, so it was her best bet. She balanced into a hand-stand and then slowly moved herself through. Just as she landed on the other side and was turning to bring her upper half through, she discovered she must have triggered a different sensor, because the net began to change shape and her hole was shrinking rapidly. Moving with more speed than carefulness, Lara managed to get through the last of the hole and take her hands out just before the beams crossed in the middle.
'Close one,' Lara thought. She turned to the last set. The beams were still but covered a longer area and didn't allow for slow movements. Lara moved up and down carefully, and then, after some quick calculations, did two fast acrobatic jumps and turns, a jump and a roll and she was through the beams and out the door.
"Nice work Lara. Now, I have worked out you are going to need the floor space between the Triceratops and the Stegosaurus in the main gallery. It is the only space that is big enough without going outside and drawing attention to yourself," Zip explained as he finished typing something.
"And the downside is?" Lara asked.
"Two guards on the ground floor, one on the top floor and a set of security cameras. I've managed to hack the cameras so they aren't a problem, but if one of those guards sees you, it will not take long for them to get word to the control room. I can't hold their communications off from here - I'd need to be closer."
"That's fine Zip. Just make sure the cameras don't see me." Lara explained.
"You got it. The guard upstairs is close to you, and will be passing the entry near you headed to the right in about twenty seconds."
"Got it," Lara said. She moved to the entrance and leaned against the wall. When the guard came by, she leaned out quickly and drew him into the passage, a hand on his mouth and one around his neck. With a quick hit, he was out cold. Lara looked down into the main room. The two guards were rather close to each other, which made it easier for her to work. Lara took a running jump off the balcony and grabbed onto the side of a column in the middle of the room and then jumped off it to land on top of one of the guards. As the other guard came towards her, Lara pointed her hand at him. He froze where he stood and fell flat upon his face. Lara looked down at the guard she was standing on. He was out of it too.
"Move it Lara, you haven't got a lot of time," Alister called through the headset.
"I know, I'm on it," Lara answered. She quickly got to the floor space between the two dinosaurs and it was indeed pretty big. She looked at the symbol Alister had sent her. It was basically a straight line with three different circles of different sizes, all with writing around the edges and different symbols within. Lara took up her chalk and got to work.
XXX
The Gates to Pandora's Temple
"Welcome to Pandora's Temple," The Gatekeeper said flatly. "You have chosen to risk life and limb for the treasure that is inside. Be warned, that those who walk through this gate do not return," the gatekeeper explained.
"Kratos did, and it never harmed his career," Edwy answered.
"I think you'll find that it harmed him quite a bit. He never left here alive either," The Gatekeeper answered.
"True, but he still came back. Now, how do we enter your temple?" Edwy continued as everyone behind him started to unpack their gear and set some things up.
"One of you will need to fight a being that the Gods deem fit to battle you. You can never predict what it will be. Kratos battled two Cyclops to get in."
"I'll go," Prentiss said, beginning to draw his sword.
"No, let me," Edwy said, taking up the sword of Ares. The blade was made of sharpened steel that was shaded a deep orange colour. It had been shrunk down, but now it contained power beyond imagination.
"Then go over to the bridge and cross it. Beyond there you will find a ring. Within it your challenge shall be summoned. Be warned, like the temple, you cannot escape what you step into." Edwy ignored the advice and started to cross the bridge. At the other side was a large area roped off from the bridge all the way around to the stairs leading to the main temple doors. As he started to cross the space between the bridge and the stairs, a shimmer of energy went up around the ring, and out of the ground rose a grotesque figure. It was tall with a mass of muscle and horns, walked on two bull legs and wielded a large axe. The ring through its nose and the aggressive and intelligent stare of a Minotaur faced Edwy.
Remaining calm, Edwy raised his sword and set his stance. The Minotaur pawed the ground and then charged at Edwy, the axe swinging around in an arc to try and catch him in the side. Edwy ducked and faced the Minotaur again as it rounded in its charge and came back for him, raising the axe. Edwy side-stepped the attack and brought his sword around and into the stomach of the Minotaur. The sword began to glow red hot and burned its way through a now screaming Minotaur until it was fully cleft in half.
Edwy had just removed the blade when something charged into the side of him, sending him flying into the air. He landed with a thud into the ground, and looked around to see another Minotaur headed straight for him. Edwy had just stood up when the axe came swinging for his head. The Sword of Ares raised and blocked the attack and the Minotaur and Edwy stared at each other for a long moment. Edwy then extended his fist and stabbed the Minotaur in the eye with a small dagger. The Minotaur reared and screamed in pain. Edwy jumped up on its back and drove his sword into its head, The Minotaur fell to the ground and Edwy jumped off. Collecting his weapons, he saw the shimmer of the barricade fade and the entirety of his team came across the bridge.
"Let us go, sar," Ernest said. "Ze temple vill be unt easy challenge, ya?" he asked.
"I hope not. I didn't come all this way just to walk in and take the Heart." Edwy said.
"Same here," Prentiss muttered, strolling up the stairs. He read the inscription on the door and then pressed a button on the wall. The doors opened to reveal the entrance to Pandora's Temple, an entrance not viewed by man in nearly 3000 years. All around the walls were statues of the many Gods of Olympus, each one made of gold and shining brightly. There was only one odd thing; there was no God of War. Ares was not present and neither was Kratos. It seemed that the whole ordeal was too confusing, even for the makers of the temple.
"What do we have to do to get inside?" A soldier asked.
"We need to do some moving. The statues do not line up with the images on the wall." Prentiss pointed to what was a small side chamber with the images of the same Gods in two lines, but they did not match the pattern of which the Gods were standing in their statue forms.
"Get the statue of Demeter and move it into the place of the statue of Hera. She needs to take the place of Poseidon and he needs to go beside Zeus. Edwy, you will need to stand where Demeter once was," And so the soldiers got to work, pushing the heavy statues about. When everything was in place, Edwy stood on the spot Demeter had once occupied. There was a slight pause, and then the doors at the other end of the room opened and a lectern with a tablet rose out of the ground.
"Be warned, ye who enter this temple, for it is not how the dead remember it. Since it was defeated by Kratos, the Gods deemed it important to change the structure. You must find the Keys of the Titans to open the inner door, and the gifts of Heroes to open the access to the last challenges. Good luck, and may the mercy of the Gods be upon you."
"Sounds like fun," Edwy answered.
"Sounds like a lot of work," Prentiss remarked. He turned and led the way into the inner sanctum.
XXX
Athens Museum
Lara finished drawing the symbols on the floor. It had taken up a lot of space, but at least she had it all correct. Just as she was about to stand in the middle circle, Athena appeared.
"You must place the coin in the small circle at the base of this symbol, and then stand on the circle at the other end. I will open the portal from there." Athena floated to stand in the centre of the larger circle that was in the middle of the line. Lara placed the coin into the small circle with the head pointing upward and then moved to stand in the circle at the opposite end. Nothing happened for a few moments, and Athena drew her arms together in concentration. The coin lifted itself off the ground and started spinning. It then shot up into the air and landed on the ground in the circle under Athena. The floor swirled and distorted before becoming a large open area. It was a drop into another dimension.
"Jump Lara, now," Athena called.
"Man, that look like something out of Star Wars," Zip called down the headset. Lara ignored him and jumped into the vortex. As she did, it closed behind her and Lara found herself falling.
"ATHENA!" She called, and Lara suddenly felt her decent become more controlled. Athena appeared before her.
"It will take a little while before you reach the entrance hall of the temple, so I will answer your questions now."
"What happened to the other Gods? Aphrodite didn't appear the same way as you do."
"Aphrodite was one of the Gods Kratos didn't kill," Athena began. "She aided him in the destruction of Olympus in return for some… favours. She has lived the life of an immortal ever since. The Gods that survived did learn of their mistakes and began to repair the damage. Apollo, Artemis, Demeter, Aphrodite, Cyanosis and Pan still have physical form. All the others that died became somewhat like me." Athena gestured to herself.
"So what happened to them?" Lara continued to ask.
"The powers of the other realms deemed them unfit and stripped them of their powers, saying that they had to earn their positions back. Hephaestus did so by remaking Pandora's Temple into the death trap it is now. His spirit wanders freely like mine. Zeus, Poseidon and Hades are bound to the temple and you must face them in order to get through the temple. Hera is bound to the Temple of the Sisters of Fate…"
"It exists?" Lara asked.
"Indeed, but it is not accessible by modern means. She and the Sisters reside there. As I am sure you know, the Sisters were killed by Kratos, giving humanity free will, but the Sisters still reside there in spirit. They still weave the Destinies of all who live, but they do not have such a strong hold on events any more. As for Hermes, Helios and Persephone, they haunt the Temple at Olympus."
"And what about the Titans?" Lara pressed.
"Their spirits are within Pandora's Temple. Even as we speak our enemies move to face Atlas for his key." Athena looked down, but noted they weren't there yet.
"And where is the soul of Kratos?" Lara asked.
"He resides in three places, but his mind sleeps. He dreams of the world's disasters and the things that he has caused. When you reach his heart, you will have the chance to meet him." Athena looked at Lara who did not show any great enthusiasm towards the idea.
"Are we there yet?"
"Enough time for one last question."
"Where's Ares?"
"Ares was damned to the Underworld where his soul was put into a dreamless sleep. He has heard the voices of those faithful to him. But it seems that he only stirred when someone was powerful enough to call him back."
"He's been…" Lara was going to ask but she felt the ground suddenly appear under her and she fell flat on her arse. She was on a small path leading to what had to have been the largest temple site she had ever seen. She looked it over for a brief moment, taking it in.
"Wow," Came Alister's voice.
"The Temple of Pandora," Zip whispered.
"Isn't it beautiful? I feel so spoiled. So few temples left in the world to see after this one," Lara exclaimed.
"I dunno, the temples Athena was mentioning sounded pretty good." Zip answered.
"The one at Olympus is in a bit of a state, but I think we will be able to see it if we do a good job," Lara explained. She started following the path up towards the temple.
"So many visitors today," muttered a dry voice. Lara looked around. She noticed that a lot of people had come through recently, but the speaker was a man standing by a fire. He was dressed in very torn and dishevelled clothes and his skin as grey as that of a rotted corpse. Upon reaching him, he turned around to face her. He was rather grotesque, but Lara didn't flinch. She had seen plenty of similar things in her life; just none of them had been animate.
"I'm sorry if I am interrupting you," Lara replied.
"It is of little consequence to me. I look at you as I do all people who come to this place; doomed to be dumped upon my fire." The man gestured to the large pit behind him. Lara could see the traces of bones and burned clothing amongst the coals.
"You're the Gatekeeper then. The first person ever to attempt the maze, and now you work endlessly at the temple as punishment and warning," Lara explained, remembering some notes from the things she had read.
"How do you know?" he asked.
"You have quite a place in Greek history. Many people know of you, as do they of your work, but few ever get to see it."
"Then there has been praise," the Gatekeeper muttered to himself, feeling happier than he had in centuries.
"But now, I must ask who has come by here?" Lara inquired, pointing to the many footprints leading to the temple.
"Three menleading a small army. They entered the temple less than an hour ago. My senses tell me that they are going after the Key of Atlas." The Gatekeeper turned towards the doorway to the temple. "I imagine that you will not have trouble getting to the outer ring of doors, as these men didn't clean up after themselves, but you will also find that they are working in two groups. One is camped in the outer ring. But I cannot say more. Go forth, and may the blessing of the Gods guide you to victory." Lara bowed slightly and then began her walk across the bridge to the main entry. As she stepped into the large ring that lay before it, she saw a shimmer of energy go up to close her within. She drew her pistols and looked around. There was a roar and something jumped down into the ring. Tall, grey skin and with a giant club in its hand, Lara faced a Cyclops.
"This is not funny," Lara muttered to herself as she started to carefully sidestep. The Cyclops was not as patient and lunged at her, club first. Lara jumped to the side, took careful aim and fired two shots into its head. The Cyclops staggered and roared in fury and pain. It turned to her and charged again. Lara was only just in time to jump backwards before the swinging club came past, just missing her. The Cyclops swung the club again and Lara jumped forward, ducking under the arc and avoiding the massive weight. She pointed her guns upward and started shooting. The shots drove deep into the Cyclops' stomach and it staggered backwards again. Regaining her feet, Lara ran forward, jumped onto the club and then ran up the Cyclops' arm towards its head. With its free arm, it tried to swat Lara off, but she jumped to the side and took aim. Two shots fired and both landed their mark in the Cyclops' eye. The spare hand went to its head in realisation and pain as it toppled over, its blindness its last thought. The shimmering ring disappeared and Lara was free to approach the doors to the temple.
On the door was a large ring with eight different symbols. In the middle was an inscription.
'Upon this wheel are letters eight, only one can open the gate. Choose the letter missing from here, or else it is your death I fear. May the Gods guide your hand, on the threshold of death, you now stand.'
Below it were six letters carved into a jumbled word. Lara looked at it and then the corresponding letters. She then chose the 'a' symbol and the doors opened.
Inside, Lara was met with the same collection of golden statues. She looked at all of them and noted the absence of a God of War. She found the pattern of the gods upon the wall and then, seeing the statues in their right place, took hers in the vacant spot. There was a sudden flash in Lara's mind and all time around her seemed to slow to a nanosecond as the voice spoke to her and she to it.
"Who are you?" asked the voice.
"I am Lara Croft. Who are you?"
"I am the Titan Cronos. It is I who deem people worthy to enter the temple. Its foundation once my back, it now rests on my bones and is the foundation of my soul. You, Lara, are one most worthy to enter this temple, for I see great strength in you. You must open the gates guarded by my Titan allies. Doing so will bring you closer to the Heart of Kratos."
"And how do I get these keys?" Lara asked.
"Through the trials and sacrifices put together by us and the smith god Hephaestus. If you succeed, we will grant you the keys to the inner ring. If you fail, your sentence is death. Do you understand?"
"I accept this challenge." Lara responded bravely.
"Good. Enter the temple, and may your luck be with you."
The conversation was over and the doors opened. Lara took a moment to steady herself, as it was quite a rush. As she walked through the doors, she could hear footsteps. Coming towards her were men, all armed with rifles and dressed in army camouflage. They all kneeled and aimed, but no-one fired. Stepping through them came Edwy.
"Well, well, you must be Athena's Chosen One. And I am not surprised to find Lady Lara Croft behind the pistols now aimed at my head."
"Edwy Wilde - archaeologist and self-styled Sorcerer of Deities. So it was you who summoned Ares back. I suppose he has offered you the world?" Lara asked, slowly backing away.
"Indeed he did. But I don't want this to be bad blood between us Lara," he extended a hand. "Let us work together to accomplish this goal." Lara raised an eyebrow.
"If you honestly think I would allow you to get close to that Heart, you are gravely mistaken." Lara had backed away while they were talking, and the men had been encroaching on her. Finally, she was where she wanted to be. She stood beside a door. She had no idea where it went, but she had to take the gamble.
"Very well Lara, we will do this the hard way. Kill her." The men opened fire ad Lara had enough time to get off a few shots before dodging into the corridor and running. She turned and started sprinting backwards, shooting down the passage. She took down two men before she ran out of shots and came under fire. Lara reached a small alcove and dived into it, reloaded and started shooting around the corner.
"Come on, already," Lara muttered as she withdrew and the gunfire continued. Finally there was a pause. Out of shots, Lara came back into the corridor and kept moving, still firing shots. Reinforcements must have shown up because there were a number of men moving down the corridor and dodging between the thin pillars that were sticking out of the wall. Lara ducked as guns started shooting again. With a quick movement, Lara looked down the passage and saw what she wanted; a chain mechanism to a stone gate. She waited her moment and then jumped forward, taking aim and firing as bullets zinged over her head. The bullet hit the chain and the door came down, cutting her off from her attackers.
"Kill her on sight. She will return eventually." It was Edwy's voice at the other side of the wall.
"Predictable. How will you open the next door if I take the key and hide it?" Lara moved on through the passage. Much of the decoration showed a woman made of trees and a river. The writing told of the Titan Gaia, how she had helped hide Zeus as a child, fallen in the first war, aided Kratos against the Gods and then was destroyed by the combined efforts of both Kratos and Zeus. Before the entry to what Lara could see was a large area, another shimmer of energy was blocking the doorway. This one was a deep magenta colour, the Omega symbol swirling within. As Lara approached it, out stepped a woman dressed in hunting gear; a sleeveless robe that was tan coloured and ended in a small skirt around her thighs. Her boots were straps all the way up to her knees and her hair was done back in a plaited pony-tail.
"Goddess Artemis," Lara said, bowing to her.
"Lady Croft," Artemis answered, also with a bow.
"I believe that I have found myself in your worthiness?" Lara put to her as a question rather than a demanding statement.
"Indeed. You are a fine shooter, but you will need more than that to get through this and you are limited on shots. I present to you a weapon more powerful than what your enemies carry. I present to you my sword." Artemis reached behind her and drew the blade from its sheath on her back. She presented it to Lara who took it and weighed it in her hands. The large blade expanded and had a slight curve to it. It shimmered magenta like the doorway. She took a few steps back and tested it, swinging it in a few wide arcs and in smaller strikes. The sword had adjusted its weight to suit her.
"This is the very blade that slayed a titan and aided Kratos to defeat Ares. It also provides you with some magical shielding from gunfire and arrows. But be careful, as it does not make you invulnerable." Artemis watched as Lara wielded the blade as if she had owned it all her life. The magic of the blade would allow Lara to wield it with perfect knowledge, but stun anyone who tried to use it against her.
"Thank you, Goddess Artemis. I will use this gift wisely." Lara went to sheathe it, and realised she didn't have one. Artemis took off her sheath and passed it to Lara, who put it on under her backpack. The size adjusted easily to fit. Artemis turned and walked back into the glowing doorway, which promptly disappeared.
To be Continued..
A/N: Yes, we realise her gifts are similar to that of GoW1, but we'd rather give you something you already had knowledge of rather than try to explain newer things. We hope this chapter is good for you. The villains are after the Atlas key, Lara is going after the Gaia key. Which Titan keys are left? Can you name them? Reviews make the Atlas go round.
